Failed projects and two million GEL left in the budget

28.12.2018

Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

Gori Municipality City Hall has left up to 2 million GEL unspent in 2018 budget. These funds were allocated mostly for infrastructural projects. Among them, one of the key projects was construction of a kindergarten in the railway station settlement in Gori and the city hall announced tender on it three times. As the building companies violated the tender conditions several times, the city hall announced the tender for the fourth time.

Gori Municipality Mayor Konstantine Tavzarashvili said they have left money in the budget because of the irresponsibility of the winner companies.

“The tender about the kindergarten failed three times; approximately half million GEL was allocated for its construction. There were also funds allocated for marking the roads, which had to be done with thermoplastics to stand during five years. We had to postpone this project too in order to do it in a high quality. There were small projects, like rehabilitation of water supply systems and more, whose budget made up about 2 million GEL in total; now we have this money unspent,” the mayor said and imposed all responsibilities on the building companies.

The member of the municipal council from the United National Movement Vasilisa Jabakhidze has completely different opinion about the issue. She said the service units of the City Hall do not work properly and it is reason of the unspent budget funds and failed projects.

“It is caused by unqualified staff members and it is not right to blame only the companies for the failed projects because the respective service units of the city hall also bear responsibility for that. Instead working on those projects, the mayor and his employees were engaged in the election campaign and now we have this result. I have one question to the municipality mayor – if the two million GEL would have been allocated for the salary supplements, would they have left it unspent?” Vasili Jabakhidze said.

The members of the municipal council from the Georgian Dream believe the election year hindered the expenditure of budget funds, because in accordance to the law, it is prohibited to make any amendments in the budget before the elections.

“Gori municipality city hall has implemented 80% of the scheduled projects; as for the unspent funds, it is related with the election year when we cannot make any changes in the budget; besides that we had the second round of the elections and the process prolonged,” Tamar Muralova of the Georgian Dream said.

Gori municipality mayor Konstantine Tavazarashvili said unspent funds of 2018 will move to the next year budget and will be spent on the implementation of the planned projects.